Thursday, April 16, 2009

John Madden Retires From Broadcasting

ESPN- John Madden, a fixture in NFL broadcast booths for 30 years, has decided to retire, he announced Thursday in a statement released by NBC Sports. Madden, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and former Super Bowl-winning coach of the Oakland Raiders, has been a game analyst and TV personality since walking away from coaching in 1979.

"It's time. I'm 73 years old. My 50th wedding anniversary is this fall," Madden said. "I have two great sons and their families and my five grandchildren are at an age now when they know when I'm home and, more importantly, when I'm not."

"It's been such a great ride," he added. The NFL has been my life for more than 40 years, it has been my passion -- It still is. ... It's still fun and that's what it makes it hard and that's why it took me a few months to make a decision.

In some weird way, I think I'm going to miss John Madden from the booth. Me and my friends would continually make fun of him during broadcasts for stating the obvious, and praying that he would circle players in the shape of penises, but that was half the fun of watching Monday Night, or Sunday Night Football. He was almost like your senile grandfather who would just say ridiculous things and embarrass you in front of guests, but after he died, you just miss hearing him go on racist rants and talk about how everyone is a pussy now.

It's kind of the same emotion I had about Billy Packer leaving March Madness. I absolutely hated his guts, but half the fun was just being able to complain and gripe about how much he sucked. There was definitely a void missing, because there wasn't that announcer you loved to hate. I'm going to start calling this the Duke Theory. Everyone absolutely despises Duke, but when they get knocked out of the tournament early, some of the emotion is taken right out of March Madness. Very few people, and teams fall into this: LA Lakers, Billy Packer, John Madden, Duke, the Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, and recently the Patriots. Admit it, the Super Bowl wasn't the same with out them was it?

Anyway, John Madden, you will be missed in a fucked up sorta way. POW! BOOM!